Forgetting Adam
by zsazsa4168
Summary: For TW Reset Ficathon. Prompt is that Ianto cannot just accept that the team have lost two days. He must find out what happened.


"_Sorry, love. I don't do flowers. And I definitely don't do apologies."_

As if anyone needed further proof that Owen was a prick. As if anyone but Owen missed the disappointment, and embarrassment, on Tosh's face.

Of all the cruelties of Torchwood, Ianto thought, this was one of the worst: that Tosh would repeatedly hand her heart on a platter to an ass who would slap it back in her face.

But this time, building up Tosh's hopes only to knock them down, under the cover of two days no one could remember, was possibly Owen's lowest trick ever. Ianto wasn't going to let him get away with it.

He stole a glance at the florist's card, and then disappeared to his workstation in the archives. In moments, he had hacked the florist's database and found the order for Tosh's flowers. Paid for with a credit card belonging to - no surprise – Dr. Owen Harper. Owen had signed the receipt in his uniquely illegible scratch.

"Bastard," Ianto said aloud.

"I hope you weren't talking about me." Ianto started at the sound of Jack's voice, but eased as he felt the strong arms circling him from behind.

"Not _this_ time, sir," Ianto said, turning toward Jack with a smile.

Jack pulled Ianto close. "Come on. Let's go eat."

Jack had sent the others home, which is probably where he and Ianto should have been. But two days worth of mess and strange files to be dealt with was more than Ianto could leave overnight. So, they ordered Chinese and ate while they caught up on paperwork and housekeeping around the Hub.

"Jack, why is the lie detector out of the archives?"

"Don't know. My memory's been wiped."

"Doesn't that concern you a little?"

Jack thought for a second. "Depends on why it was wiped."

"And in this specific instance?"

"Don't remember."

Ianto put down a handful of files and sat on a corner of Jack's desk. "Jack," he said, and waited until the other man looked up. "The lie detector's been used, Owen sent Tosh flowers, you somehow managed to get your hands on my diary, and you aren't even a little curious?"

"My gut says, 'don't worry.' So I'm not worried."

Ianto retook his stack of files. They needed to go back down to the archives. He stopped near the door. "Did you do it? Did you Retcon us, Jack?"

"Don't think so." Jack didn't look up from his monitor.

"What normally happens when you Retcon the staff? You wouldn't' normally Retcon yourself as well, would you? Or would you leave yourself a note or something?"

"I don't recall _ever_ Retconning the staff."

"Well, what if it's not something one of us did? Did you ever consider maybe it's something alien, or one of your psycho ex-lovers?"

"Ianto, seriously, I think you're over…."

"I bet it was that son of a bitch Owen!" Ianto stepped back into the office. "He finally slipped and let Tosh know how he feels, then chickened out. So rather than behave like a grown up, he's got himself a rewind." Ianto was pacing a short strip in Jack's office, his free hand stabbing the air as he spoke.

"Ianto? How about some coffee?"

"Sure. Let me just get rid of these files." Jack figured that would distract the young man for a bit. He got uptight about the strangest things.

After they drank their coffee, they decided to wrap up for the night and head to Ianto's. He drove. It was a route they both could drive in their sleep, so when Ianto took an unexpected turn, Jack squawked, "Where are you going?"

"Quick stop," Ianto answered. He pulled up in front of a modern condo block and got out.

"This is Owen's building," Jack sputtered, incredulous. What's this all about?

"Yep. Won't be a sec. Wait here." He didn't wait for Jack to ask questions.

On the tenth floor, Ianto left the elevator, walked a few steps to number 15, and rang the bell.

The door opened and Owen's head poked out, holding the door close to his body. He was wearing a short satin dressing gown. "Ianto, mate," he whispered, smiling. "Not really a good time. I…."

Ianto winked. "Message received. You know I wouldn't be here unless it was important." He peered over Owen's head, trying to catch a glimpse of the poor female he'd drug home from some bar that evening.

Owen stepped into the hallway, shutting the door behind him. He stood with his hands in the pockets of his dressing gown, trying to clear the effects of alcohol from his brain.

"What's up tea boy?"

"This," Ianto said simply. Then he planted his fist in Owen's face with enough force to slam the doctor's head into the door behind him. He slid slowly down to the floor. By the time he could stand or speak, Ianto was back in the car with Jack, heading home.

Jack couldn't help asking, "What was that about?"

"Just had to do a favor for a friend," he said, leaning in to give Jack a kiss guaranteed to change the subject.

"Want to do a favor for _me_?"

"Give me 10 minutes and I'll be doing a favor for us both." He leaned on the accelerator and the car roared forward into the night.

When Owen arrived at the Hub the next morning, he strode quickly up to Ianto, intent on returning the "favor" he'd received the night before, but lacking the element of surprise, Owen had no real hope of doing any damage to Ianto. One swift block from Ianto's forearm and a thrust from his hip and Owen was off the walkway and into the pool of water at the base of the tower.

"Remember this the next time you think about deliberately embarrassing Tosh," Ianto said before walking away. "Gwen, Tosh, can I get you ladies coffee?" He glared at Owen and then walked to the kitchen.

Jack, hearing the commotion, had come out to see what was going on. "My office. Both of you. Now." He looked at Owen. "Get a towel first."

Tosh peeked around her workstation and smiled at the sight of the dripping medic. Gwen was pacing the catwalk above them, stabbing the buttons on her cell phone.

Jack sat behind his desk, hands clasped in front of him. Owen and Ianto stood in front of him, a couple of not-so-contrite schoolboys waiting to receive their scolding.

"Ianto, you first."

Ianto just glared at Owen.

"Ianto." Jack's tone and expression were more serious this time. "Why did you throw Owen off the walkway?"  
"I didn't," Ianto said, taking a step back and leaning against the wall, arms and ankles crossed in front of him. "I merely blocked the lame fist he was aiming at my face. He fell by himself."

"Because you cold cocked me, you bastard!" Owen moved closer to Ianto but one look at Jack's face took some of the fire out of his voice. "While I was entertaining, I might add."

"I had a reason and you know it!"

"Like what? What have I done to you?" He paused.

""Apart from the usual? You lied to Tosh about the flowers. I know you bought them, Owen."

"That's impossible." Owen laughed. "Why on earth would I send Tosh flowers?"

"I've seen the receipt!"

"Does that really sound like something I'd do?"

"He has a point," Jack said, looking at Ianto.

"I checked the records, Jack. Unless, God forbid, there are _two_ of him, this poor excuse for a cock sent Toshiko those flowers. _Then_ he humiliated her by denying it in front of everyone." Jack had seen Ianto angry, but this was beyond anything he'd seen since… well… since Lisa. Ianto was easily the most loyal member of his team, and Jack knew that, apart from himself, no one received more of Ianto's loyalty than Toshiko.

"Look, you two," Jack interrupted. "We lost two days, including the day the flowers arrived, so we're not likely to find out exactly what happened. Just drop it. Both of you." His eyes made clear how serious he was. But just in case, he added, "That's an order."

Owen and Ianto shuffled out of Jack's office. But Jack grabbed Owen's arm and pulled him back in. "You _will_ be apologizing to Toshiko. You can tell her you don't remember; I'm sure she doesn't either. But be a human being for a change and tell her you're sorry. Like you mean it."

Later in the day, Ianto and Tosh sat on the sofa drinking coffee and sharing a tin of biscuits. Gwen, who had been distracted all day, finally mumbled a lame excuse and left the Hub. Owen was in autopsy, and Jack was on the phone making some UNIT officer's life miserable.

"Tosh, Owen _did_ send you those flowers. I found the receipt." Ianto said.

"I know," Tosh said. Had Ianto forgotten who taught him to hack a database? "He apologized, Owen did. Funny thing is, I think I believe him, Ianto. If he sent those flowers, he's telling the truth when he says he doesn't remember."

They were silent for a moment. Above them, Myfanwy squawked, a reminder to Ianto that it was almost feeding time.

"Ianto, I…." Toshiko was blushing. "That's not the only strange thing, though."

Ianto raised an eyebrow, inviting her to go on.

"How can I say this?" Ianto put his arm around her. If she had to ask, it must be bad. There was virtually nothing Ianto and Tosh hadn't shared with each other.

"Try sentences. In English. It's always worked for me." He hoped a little humor might make it easier.

"OK," she said, whispering. "Last night, I found two used condoms in the bin in my bathroom."

Ianto raised both eyebrows and smiled. "Tosh , you minx! You've been holding out on me! " He smacked her arm playfully.

"Ianto, I swear. There's been no one. Not since…Tommy." She stared into her empty cup.

Ianto's eyes narrowed. "So you're having sex with someone…less than memorable, and Owen sent you flowers apologizing for something."

" Ianto, you don't think…," Tosh turned a horrified gaze to her friend. "You don't think Owen and I…."

Ianto shrugged. "The questions multiply. Did Owen finally show sense and do what you've secretly wanted for ever? And if so, why would he then be apologizing about it?"

The sat in silence.

"Don't worry about it, Ianto," Tosh said, patting his arm. She didn't want him to get too obsessed. Sometimes, he took her hurts more personally than she did and she worried about him. "It's not important, and we've got plenty of other things to think about." Typical Tosh.

"I'll get to the bottom of it, Tosh. And it's no trouble. I promise." He kissed her lightly on the forehead. Then the Rift Alarm went off.

A weevil here, an alien device there and Ianto didn't have much chance to work on Tosh's mystery. By the end of the day, Owen had returned to his annoying self. Gwen was worse; she spent the day trying to outdo Owen for crankiness and sarcasm. Ianto's head hurt like the rift was splitting right through the middle of it.

When he and Jack got home, Ianto took a painkiller and went straight to bed. He was awakened some time later by a phone call.

"Ianto?" It was Toshiko.

"Mmpf. Time is it?" He squinted at the clock. Three fourteen. Why would Tosh call him at that hour unless it was…? He sat up in bed. "Tosh! Are you okay? What's happened?"

"It's probably nothing, but I can't shake it." Ianto's keen ear heard more than she said.

"What? Tell me." He ran a hand roughly across his face, trying to wake up. Jack reached an arm over and pawed his abdomen.

"I think there's someone in my flat. I'm hearing things. Seeing things out of the corner of my eye."

Ianto jumped to the floor and pulled on his jeans with one-handed. "Tosh, I'm coming. Don't move and don't hang up."

Jack woke up enough to raise a questioning eyebrow.

"Going to Tosh's. Go back to sleep." He leaned over and kissed Jack on the nose. Jack's expression remained confused. For a man who didn't sleep much, he could be very slow to wake.

"Got to go nail Tosh to her mattress. I asked about a threesome but she said no." Jack nodded and went back to sleep.

Ianto raced through the pre-dawn streets of Cardiff, and parked a block from Tosh's. He approached her building quickly and silently, circling it once looking for signs of trouble. Nothing. He entered using the key card Tosh had given him and took the stairs up. Not as many opportunities to observe from the elevator. He didn't' see a soul, didn't hear a sound. He'd barely begun to knock on Tosh's door when it opened and she pulled him into a hug.

"Ianto. Thank God you're here."

"Back inside, miss." Ianto shut the door and made a quick sweep of her flat. "No one here."

"Yeah," she laughed. "I _do_ know how to do a sweep."

"Sor-ry," Ianto said, feigning defensiveness. "I was led to believe there was a damsel in distress at this location."

"Sit." Tosh said. "Can I get you something to drink?"

"Coffee. Let me make it." They both went into the kitchen. Tosh sat on a stool at the counter while Ianto made the drinks. He'd spent more of his time with Tosh than with anyone – except Jack. He'd lost count of the number of meals he'd prepared for her here, after one of her bad days, usually Owen induced. Tosh's small, modern kitchen was almost as familiar to him as his own.

"I'm a little worried about you, Tosh. It's not like you to get this jumpy."

"I'm a little worried about myself. I know there's no one here. I've got more detectors and sensors hooked up than you can imagine and they're all negative."

Ianto arched an eyebrow in her direction.

"What?"

"You're sounding a little paranoid."

"Not really. I enjoy the toys more than I think I need them."

Ianto sat on the other stool and put two mugs of coffee on the counter between them.

"So if we're both absolutely certain there's no one, why am I not back at mine getting my beauty sleep?"

"Because my gut tells me there's something wrong."

"Something _is_ wrong, Tosh. Owen sent you flowers. You're getting laid. That alone is enough to make me worried."

She laughed. "Why is that so wrong?"

"Because the day either of those things happen, you will most definitely _not_ forget."

She took a sip of her coffee and savored its journey over her taste buds.

"Plus," Ianto added. "Stuff's been moved at the Hub. Jack found my diary."

"What?" She paused. "He didn't read it, did he?"

Ianto deadpanned. "Oh no, Tosh. Jack would never behave like a 10-year-old with no boundaries. He would _never_ violate my privacy like that!"

"What part did he…?"

"Measuring tapes."

"No!" she shrieked. "I would have died."

"I tried to."

They sat a few more moments in silence.

Suddenly, Ianto stood. "Bedtime, Tosh. I'll take the couch. Then in the morning we'll try to sort this all out."

"OK, but don't take the couch." Ianto gave her a questioning look. "C'mon. I trust you in the bed."

"As well you should, but it's not my behavior I'm worried about. How can I trust a woman who has sex in her sleep?"

"Just because I don't remember, doesn't mean I was asleep."

"Fair enough," he said, putting both their mugs in the sink. "Let's hit the sheets." Ianto hoped his smile would reassure Tosh, and keep her from seeing how worried he actually was.

When Jack strolled into the Hub the next morning, Owen yelled. "Harkness! Where's the tea boy? I could use a coffee."

Jack paused and shrugged. "Haven't seen him. Think he ended up at Toshiko's last night."

Owen shared a suggestive expression with Gwen. Jack smiled. As long as Owen kept taking the bait, he'd keep enjoying baiting him. Jack headed up to his office. Gwen, gesturing furiously at her cell phone, barely noticed either of them.

Moments later, Ianto and Tosh entered together, laughing.

"Nice of you to join us, tea boy! Any chance of a coffee before lunchtime?"

Ianto ignored Owen and spoke quietly to Tosh. "If he says even one thing out of line to you, let me know. I'm not tired of smashing his face in yet." He hugged Tosh and kissed her lightly on the forehead. "Be strong. We'll get it sorted. And don't forget to check that CCTV footage for me, yeah?"

"Gwen. Do you suppose Ianto's switched teams on us again?" Owen smirked.

"Nutter!" She threw her phone at the floor and then frowned at the scattered bits like they'd broken on purpose.

Ianto snorted and made his way to the kitchen, reappearing not long after with coffees. He delivered the first to Owen, who barely grunted in acknowledgement. He put Gwen's cup down next to her, but got even less response. When he got to Tosh's workstation, she was beaming.

"Good news?"

"Yeah. I think I found something…someone. Still can't make sense of it, but it's a start."

"Great. I'm going to take Jack his coffee. Get the others in the conference room and we'll take a look."

Ianto was surprised to find Jack attacking a mountain of paperwork with energy. "Jack…."

"Not now, Ianto," Jack said excitedly. "I've got a system. Going to get through this stack in record time."  
"Pleased to hear it." Ianto briefly pondered the implications of Jack eagerly doing paperwork. Had he been exposed to some alien tech? Maybe it was pollen from one of the plants in the greenhouse. He hesitated to ask, not wanting to look a gift horse in the mouth. He also considered telling Jack what Tosh had found, but he really didn't know yet what she'd found. Besides, it would be a mistake to waste the moments when Jack willing did what he otherwise would only under great duress. "I'll try to keep down the disturbances."

"Sure," Jack said, not really noticing. "Here if you need me."

Ianto joined the others in the conference room. Toshiko was standing anxiously by the large monitor at one end.

Owen looked up. "Where's Jack?"

"In his office."

Owen stood up and took a step toward the door, "Waste of my bloody time."

"Have a seat, Owen," Ianto said. He continued without waiting for Owen to comply. "Jack's busy. We can handle this."

Owen sat back down but kept his arms crossed over his chest. Ianto remembered it had been about two days since he'd hit the doctor. Perhaps he should correct that oversight. Meanwhile, Gwen alternated between pinching the bridge of her nose and banging her cell phone in frustration.

"You all remember the two days we just lost," Ianto began. "Some of what we learned since then is a little disturbing."

"Like what? " Owen asked.

"Someone's been in Tosh's flat. Then there's this business with you and the flowers, Owen. There are also some anomalies in the Hub."

Ianto paused and Owen just stared at him.

Tosh interrupted. "Right. So, I went through the CCTV footage from the last week. To and from the Hub, and to and from each of our residences. I found this." She hit a button on the tabletop control and a video feed displayed on the monitor.

"That's my place," said Gwen, leaving her daydreams for the moment. They all watched as the SUV pulled up in front of the building where Gwen and Rhys lived. They saw Jack get out, accompanied by another man, someone they didn't recognize.

"What the fuck?" Owen asked. He rose to get a closer look, they all did. Just as they reached the monitor, the man with Jack turned to face the camera. They noted he was of average height and build. He was armed but Jack didn't seem afraid of him, in fact, it looked like they were working together.

Gwen held up one finger as if to touch the image, then said, "I can believe it. It's Adam."

"What?" Ianto asked. "You know him?"

"No. Well, yes. Rhys does." Gwen sat back in her chair, stunned. "Oh my word. I thought he was crazy." Gwen looked up at Ianto and Owen, tears welling in her eyes. "We've had the most terrible row, me and Rhys. I thought he was on drugs or hit his head or something, but he was so insistent. I didn't believe him. I couldn't figure out what he was getting at, told him to leave me alone until he got his life sorted."

Ianto put a hand on each arm of Gwen's chair and looked into her eyes. He spoke slowly, hoping to calm and focus her. "Gwen, what did Rhys say about Adam?"

"He said Adam was part of the team, one of us. He said I had forgotten who Rhys was and tried to shoot him." She chuckled lightly. "I tried to shoot him he said because I'd forgotten who he was. Thought he was a stalker. He said I had absolutely no recollection of so much as meeting him. Can you imagine?" She took a tissue out of her pocket and wiped her eyes. "Anyway, he said Jack and Adam came and they were getting it sorted. And then I came home like nothing happened."

"What do you think it means, Owen?" The doctor shrugged.

"So," Ianto said, summarizing. "For two days this Adam is one of us. Now he's gone and our memories have been wiped."

"What kind of alien does that?"

"I have no idea. Tosh?"

"I'll see what I can find out. Now that I've got a specific time and location, I can check against rift activity we might have missed. And I'll check to see if there's mention of any similar occurrences in the archives."

"Right. Gwen, you find Rhys and see what else he can tell us about Adam. Owen…."

"Blood tests? See if we've had Retcon or maybe something else?"

"Yes, please. Any signs of exposure to anything out of the ordinary."

"I'm on it."

"I'll tell Jack."

Gwen quickly left and Owen hurried off to the medical bay. Ianto noticed Tosh was still staring at the image frozen on the monitor, a strange look on her face."

"Ianto, I didn't want to say anything in front of the others but…."

"Tosh? What is it?" Then it hit him. "Adam left the condoms?"

"Yes." She sat down and put her hands to her face. "I'm so embarrassed."

"Don't be. What about the flowers. Anything?"

"Not really. Owen bought them, but something in the back of my mind is saying Adam also had something to do with it."

"Alright. Let me know if you get anything else."

Ianto climbed up to Jack's office and found the boss, incredibly, about half way through his paperwork. Whatever his new system was, it was working. Jack motioned for Ianto to sit as he finished up the file he was working on. Ianto thought for a moment about what they'd learned about Adam. It looked like Gwen, Tosh and Owen had all had some dealings with him. Did that mean he and Jack were clear? Maybe they just hadn't remembered yet.

Jack set another folder in his "done" pile and looked back at Ianto, who stood and put his hands in his pockets before speaking. Just then he saw a flash of light, purple, and then blue and felt a pain as if his entire head had exploded. The pain dropped him to his knees and Jack rushed around the desk and knelt next to him, cradling Ianto in his arms, trying to soothe the man's obvious pain. Ianto heard Jack's cries, but when he opened his eyes he was lying in a dark alley, in the rain, next to a dead body. He screamed from the bottom of his soul and then everything went dark.

When Ianto awoke, he was lying on the floor of Jack's office, listening as several voices argued over him. He sat up slowly and both Jack and Owen rushed to his side.

"I'm fine, Owen. Really. I just had a shock."

"Doing my job here, tea boy." He used a small light and checked Ianto's eyes.

"Tell you what. Let me talk to Jack for a minute and then I'll come down to you. Promise."

With that, Jack was able to clear his office and shut the door. He gave Ianto a hand up and was surprised when the young man hugged him desperately, sobbing into his neck.

"Jack, I remember now. I remember what happened during those two days."

"Like what?"

"Like an alien called Adam somehow infiltrated the team." Ianto was in no hurry to reveal the worst of it. "Gwen forgot who Rhys was. Tosh had sex with him."

"Rhys?"

"Adam. We think he's also something to do with the flowers Owen sent, but I can say what just year. But that's not the worst of it."

"OK. Spill." Jack was rubbing Ianto's back gently and pressing kisses into his temple.

"You're going to hate me. All of you. I hate myself to tell the truth," Ianto cried.

"Ianto, what on earth are you going on about?"

"Oh, my God!" He had another vision, his hands around a woman's throat, and sobs wracked his body. Ianto was trying with the backs and sides of his hands to dry his face but the tears would not stop.

"Jack, I killed three girls. With my bare hands." He held up his hands, as if to offer proof. "I remembered it, clear as day, just before I blacked out."

Jack laughed nervously. "Don't be ridiculous!"

"No, Jack. I'm serious. I don't understand it, but I'm sure it happened."

"We'll see about that. I'll just get the…." Jack stopped in mid step and looked at Ianto.

"The lie detector," they said in unison. Sometime during those two days, they had been here before. That's why the lie detector was up from the archives.

"OK. Something has made you _think_ you've murdered three women. We could use the lie detector again, but there's no point. I know you didn't do it." Jack ran his head through Ianto's hair, thinking. "Wait a minute. Did you say this alien's name was Adam?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Remember the bag on my desk, with that carved box thing in it? It said 'Adam's Property.'"

Jack was beginning to recall the events of the two days they'd lost. "It's Adam." The moment he repeated the name, Jack could see himself with Adam running toward Gwen's flat, on the sands of the Boeshane Peninsula. Boeshane? How could that be? He could see Adam locked in the cells and recalled holding Ianto in his arms while they discovered Adam's treachery the first time.

Ianto watched Jack's expression as the realization crept across it. They both knew. They both could remember. And they wished they hadn't.

Just then they heard footfalls on the back steps to Jack's office. They separated slightly, expecting Owen with a snarky remark about them not being able to keep away from each other. They looked in that direction, but were surprised to see the only person on the steps was Adam.

"Hey, kids! Did you miss me?"

Jack couldn't help a longing look at his desk drawer, where his gun was stored. Ianto was scanning the office for anything else that could be used as a weapon.

"I told you; you wouldn't be able to last without me. Look at you," Adam laughed mirthlessly. "You _wanted_ to remember."

As he approached, Jack and Ianto moved toward opposite sides of the office, hoping to trap Adam between them, but he stopped and produced a weapon of his own, pointing it at Ianto.

"Adam, no! We can talk about this."

"I'm actually kind of sick of hearing you talk, Jack. Lucky for me, all I need to survive is for you to remember. And now you all remember."

"Adam, don't." Adam kept his weapon aimed at Ianto, but turned slightly to see Toshiko on the stairs behind him. She, too, was armed.

"Tosh, it's OK. They're not going to hurt me."

"You can't stay, Adam."

"Babe, you can't be serious. We're good together, really good." He chuckled a little. "Don't tell me you'd rather go back to just _dreaming_ about having man in your bed."

"Man or no, I'd rather live with reality than with a…a…whatever you are, who has to trick a woman into bed."

"I understand you're upset. Really, I get that." He took a step toward her. "But let's just talk for a minute."

Ianto and Jack looked at each other, uncertain what options they had to neutralize Adam without possibly getting Tosh hurt. Adam sensed the security he gained from proximity to Tosh. They'd be less likely to attack him for fear of hurting her. Ianto worried that Gwen or Owen might choose the wrong moment to rejoin them.

"Come here, babe. Put the gun down and come here for a second." Adam had moved to the side a bit, so he could watch all three of them without turning his head.

"You don't get it, do you Adam?" Tosh asked. She was still holding her gun aimed at him. "We're through. Or more precisely, _you're_ through." In an instant, Adam's head exploded. Tosh had shot him.

"Tosh!" Ianto gasped. "Are you OK?"

"I'm fine, but I'm not sure he's out permanently. Jack?" She looked at him. "Any idea how these things die?"

Jack shook his head.

"OK. So, it's possible that after a few more minutes of us remembering him, he'll be right as rain again."

"Let's get him down to the cells before that happens." Jack took his gun out of the drawer. Ianto grabbed Adam's weapon and tucked it into the back of his waistband. The two of them quickly got Adam's body downstairs and into one of the cells. Tosh ran off to tell Gwen and Owen.

The team spent the rest of the afternoon erasing CCTV footage across the city and inside the hub. Gwen went to Rhys' office and explained things. She brought him back to the Hub where they waited for the team "dinner," which would feature a vintage Retcon along with their wine.

Before they once again erased Adam from their memories, Toshiko established firewalls throughout the system that would let anyone who went digging know certain questions weren't worth asking. She incinerated the flowers. Jack was writing a note to himself, while Ianto cleaned the mess from Adam's wound off the office floor.

When Ianto and Jack had finished, they stood in Jack's office, arms around each other. The fatigue of a long day finally setting in.

"I hope you learned your lesson, Ianto."

"Sir?"

"Sometimes, it's best not to be too curious. If your gut tells you to ignore something, maybe that's what you should do."

"Man with a million secrets. It'd be convenient for you if I did that, wouldn't it?" Ianto smiled and kissed Jack, lost for a moment in a buffet of touch, taste and smell that he couldn't forget. "What does your gut tell you about this, Captain?" He kissed Jack again, pulling him as close as possible.

"My gut tells me we're going to have to continue this later." He pulled away and took a step toward the conference room, where the others were waiting.

"Are you sure you'll remember?" Ianto asked. He lifted the bottle of Retcon from Jack's desk and shook it.

"Some things can't be forgotten, even with all the Retcon in the world." He took Ianto's hand and led him out of the office.


End file.
